Taft College softball coach Stefanie Walsh has been worried about her team’s lack of hitting after the Cougars dropped three of four games in a tournament last weekend.

TC scored just two runs on the three losses.

But they made up for that in just two innings of Tuesday’s Central Valley Conference doubleheader in Porterville.

Walsh’s concern continued through as the Cougars were shut out until the last inning of the opener. They trailed 2-0 and couldn’t unlock the master that Pirate pitcher Chelsie Childs held over them.

“The girls had a different body language going into the seventh inning,” Walsh said. “I remember thinking: this could be good.”

It was.

The bats suddenly came alive and TC shocked Childs and the Pirates with a 10-run explosion that led to a 10-4 win.

The magic continued.

They scored 10 times in the first inning of the second game and eight in the second. The game was called after five innings with TC leading 23-5.

“It was very wild,” Walsh said. “In a matter of three innings we scored 28 runs. The girls just all of a sudden started hitting the ball. Our bats have started coming around, and I was very pleased with that.”

She hopes the show of firepower will set the tone for other CVC games. TC is 1-2 and 10-13 overall.

Stephanie Keith had six hits, Chelsea Eli-Kido and Kelina Nakai five each and sisters Venise and Tuiai Elisaro both homered and drove in four runs. Brooklyn Amador had two doubles and two singles, and they came with plenty of ducks on the pond. She drove in seven runs.

While the offense erupted, the pitching was solid.

Sophomore Jessica Neher got the first-game win. She allowed four earned runs on five hits, struck out two and walked four. She also was 2-for-3 at the plate.

Freshman Cheyenne Emerson pitched the second game, allowing just two earned runs on four hits. She fanned one and walked two and got in on the hit parade too with a double and single to drive in two runs.